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Friday, September 10, 2010

Estadio - Tapas in Logan Circle

Tortilla Espanola

The other night TWSF and our friend Diane decided to check out Estadio, a new tapas restaurants in Logan Circle. We had read a little about it online, and knew to expect a cool Spanish atmosphere and good, pricey food. Diane and I headed our by ourselves while Chuck did his fantasy football draft. I don't know why he would choose make believe football over wine and girl talk..... but he was able make it in time for what I thought was a great dining experience.

We started with a glass of white wine (cheapest one on the menu, only $4.50), cheese, and a salad. Diane was extremely disappointed in her beet salad, but I was pretty happy with my slab of Manchego cheese, toasts, date, and jam. Although I wouldn't recommend it to split, it was enough for one person. I also ordered a fig filled with blue cheese crumbles (note: I hate blue cheese and would not have ordered this had I known the translation from Spanish (Chuck's note: azul queso??)), wrapped in prosciutto. Considering it was 1 fig, for $2.50 I thought it was really overpriced (although I'm sure it had top quality ingredients). I do like fig though and the blue cheese wasn't overpowering, so I enjoyed my one bite.

Manchego

Fig wrapped in Prosciutto

Once Chuck arrived he ordered a glass of sangria (served in a very very small glass) and we ordered the rest of our tapas. Diane ordered the croquetas, pictured below. She thought they were okay, but was honestly not wowed by anything at the restaurant. In fact, had I not been the one writing this review, it may have been a little harsher. I personally enjoyed my food.

Croquetas

TWSF split the tortilla Espanola ($8), the duck breast ($13), and an open-faced sandwich spread with goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes, and salsa verde ($6). The warm tortilla was definitely my favorite tapas at Estadio. It had layers upon layers of thinly sliced potato and egg, topped with melted cheese, alioli and a pile of thinly sliced sweet peppers. The duck breast was cooked well with a seared crust and was served with chard, quince, and ginger sauce. Chuck was disappointed that the ginger flavor didn't come out in the dish, but I thought the meat alone was flavorful enough. The open-faced sandwich was really fresh tasting. I love goat cheese, but my other half does not. I'm not complaining because I got to eat more of the sandwich than he did.

Duck breast

Open-faced Sandwich

All in all, I was really happy with my tapas. Diane and Chuck were less than impressed and not pleased with the price. Considering the typical price of tapas in DC, I think it was to be expected and was pretty on par with other Spanish establishments in the area. The staff was friendly and the food was served in a timely manner. I must be getting soft in my old age, because I couldn't find anything bad to write about my experience at Estadio (unlike my company).

If you like tapas and understand that you are going to drop a few $$ for several dishes whose quantities add up to the size of a normal entrée, go to Estadio and be sure to get the tortilla Espanola.